Sonesta
Dahabiya, the latest addition to the Sonesta Nile Cruises portfolio,
combines comfort and beauty in a most inspiring way,
promising a remarkable, rewarding cruise experience of legendary
hospitality.
The
Sonesta Dahabiya will take you back in time to a gentler, more
gracious era in a 7-night cruise experience between Luxor and
Aswan. A unique experience down the Nile by traditional small
sailing vessel that was commonly used during those elegant days
of the monarchy (1920s - 40s) when aristocrats and sophisticated
travellers loved to cruise the Nile in style. We've revived those
elegant days with modern comforts and conveniences.
Being
part of the Sonesta Nile Cruise's high-scale brand portfolio of
deluxe service Nile cruisers, facilities aboard the Sonesta Dahabiya
are endless, including a stylish lounge, an open-air oriental
style jacuzzi, a spacious and partially shaded sundeck.
Offering
5 deluxe cabins and 2 elegant suites (with private terrace), Dahabiya
allows you to experience an imaginary world of luxury and privacy.
All cabins and suites feature private direct-dial telephones,
individual climate control. hairdryers, mini-bars, safety deposit
boxes, plasma TVs and movie programs.
Day
1 - Luxor- Friday
- Dendera
and Abydos Temples - Hotel in Luxor (LD)
Your guide will meet you in Luxor at your hotel or Luxor Airport
( Please advise your arrival details)
Private Chauffeur. Private air-conditioned vehicle for your tour,
today
we drive inland to tour Denderah Temple ,
tour is in an air-conditioned vehicle, with a chauffeur of course
as well as an English speaking guide / Egyptologist.
Dendera Temple is among the best preserved in Egypt. This temple
as a sight to hold. Indiana Jones would have felt at home, with
the massive stones & underground passages. We tour as well
Abydos before we head back to Luxor (lunch box included )
DENDERAH
IN A DAY: We'll travel to Denderah to visit the Temple
of Hathor, one of the best-preserved in all of Egypt, and also
one of the most important. In the ancient beliefs, Hathor was
the consort of the god of daylight, ruler of the west, and protector
or the underworld. In the manner of wise desert wayfarers, we'll
leave before dawn to take advantage of cool temperatures. Our
air-conditioned vehicle will take us through timeless Nileside
villages, where life revolves around the irrigation and harvest
of crops. Finally, we'll reach the temple precincts. We'll take
note of the unusually deep tombs, and pass under the celebrated
Zodiac, in a chapel dedicated to Osiris. (Denderah is the traditional
site of his rebirth.) Our full day will also include a visit to
Abydos, traditional home of Osiris, god of the underworld, and
a stopping point on the journey of wayfaring souls. We'll enjoy
a box lunch with bottled water included . Reach Luxor late afternoon
and your hotel in Luxor . Dinner is included at the hotel in
Luxor.
Sample Deluxe : Steigenberger , or Old Winter Palace. Nile view
room.
Day 2 : Saturday - Board Your Dahabiya
Sailing Cruise -
Private
Opening of Queen Nefertari's Tomb-
Luxor (BLD)
Breakfast is included at the hotel ,we
proceed to the West bank for a private opening of :
Queen
Nefertari's tomb : The
Queen for whom the sun shines :
Long before Cleopatra humbled the ruler of Rome, an Egyptian queen
held power over the heart and soul of Ramses, Egypt's greatest
pharaoh. In the 12th century BC, a brokenhearted Ramses built
a grand funerary tomb for Queen Nefertari, "the Beautiful one,"
in the Valley of the Queens. It's been exquisitely restored with
the aid of an American endowment, and is among the rarest sights
in all Egypt: the only great tomb ever built by a pharaoh for
his late queen. Artistically, it is the closest thing you could
ever come to see the original Ancient Egyptian art in all of its
glory and finesse. Because of its fragile nature, only a limited
number of visitors are allowed entry each day. We are the only
company to include a visit to Nefertari's tomb in our daily program.
Because of the limited access we must rise early for our visit,
appropriate as Ramses named Nefertari "the one for whom the sun
shines."
, then
transfer to your luxuriously appointed dahabiya.
Today as well , we visit the magnificent temple complex of Amon-Ra
at Karnak, with its vast hypostyle hall of 137 columns, followed
by the imposing 28 th Dynasty Luxor Temple, and Luxor Museum ,
then on to : Deir
El Medinah is on Luxor's west bank you get a totally different
perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers'
settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone
monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of
royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights
into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.
Here
we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic
animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized
rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient
Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that
artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community.
We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to
this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs,
we include as well a tour of Madinet Habu and the Ramesseum .
Private
Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Overnight moored on the Nile banks of Luxor.
Evening Sound and Light show at Karnak . Please bring
a jacket.
Cabin amenity for tonight : A fruit basket awaits you in your
cabin with our compliments.

Day 3 : Sunday
Today we head to
the West Bank for visits to the burial places of the Pharaohs
- the Valley of the Kings - where Howard Carter discovered the
tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Continue to the adjacent Valley of
the Queens, the temple of Medinet Habu , the Ramesseum and the
Colossi of Memnon
In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn
carriage ride throughout Luxor souks and water front. Overnight
moored in Luxor.
Cabin amenity for tonight : Kartouches with your names
in Hieroglyphic with our compliments. Private
Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Day 4 : Monday - We Include the Tour to Esna
Temple .
Today will be a leisurely day. After breakfast, we sail to Esna,
go through Esna Locks .
Private guide to visit Esna Temple . Cabin amenity for
tonight : Egyptian sweets platter . With our compliments.
Private
Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Day 5 : Tuesday - On Board Your Nile Cruise
This morning you will sail to Edfu to visit the wonderfully preserved
Temple of Edfu.
Overnight moored beside a Nile island. Cabin amenity for
tonight : Galabya ( the local flowing traditional garb) ,with
our compliments.
Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private
Chauffeur
Day 6 : Wednesday- On Board Your Nile Cruise
Today you will sail to Kom Ombo visit see the Ptolemaic temple
dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus,
god of the morning sun.
Overnight moored beside a Nile island. Private
Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Day 7 : Thursday - Aswan - Soheil Island
A leisurely day sailing to Aswan where the dahabiyya moors overnight.
Upon arrival we invite our interested guests to a short camel
ride to a nearby Nubian Village, time permitting we may be able
to go to Soheil Island. In the evening your guide will call on
you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan souks and
waterfront. Private
Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Day 8 : Friday - Aswan
Today you will visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971); the
Old Dam (completed in 1902). You will also visit the Philae Temple,
dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure rescued from the rising
waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam's construction
. We tour the Nubian Museum before heading back to the Sonesta
dahabiya . Evening
Sound and Light show at Philae Temple .Private
Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Day 9 : Saturday - Aswan
Breakfast aboard the dahabiya and check-out. We’ll disembark
at Aswan after breakfast. You’ll continue your travel homeward,
or perhaps you’ll choose to linger for a few days where
royalty have traditionally spent a winter in the fine, dry climate
amid splendid dining and entertainment. Add
Cairo stay and Abu Simbel
.
Click
here for Sonesta Dahabiya - ASWAN to LUXOR Itinerary

Rates
:
-
Rates
are Per Cabin :
Double or single cabin : USD
$ 12,070.00
-
Peak
Season period : Rates
are Per Cabin:
Double or single cabin : USD
$ 12,986.00
Rate for Easter will be valid for 2 weeks during Easter
Rate for Christmas and New Year ( Dec 20 - Jan 1)

Upgrade
to the Suite with your own private Terrace
Add
Cairo stay and Abu Simbel
Rate
Includes:
- All
transfers in : Dendera , Abydos, Luxor and Aswan, always on
a private basis .
- Private
:
Guided sightseeing including all entrance fees, all as per
itinerary . ( our competitors offer you group touring)
Private air-conditioned vehicle with a private chauffeur
- Pre
set meals as listed including B = Breakfast,
(or cB, Continental Breakfast), L
= Lunch, D = Dinner
- Tea/
coffle and afternoon tea while on board the Deluxe Nile Cruise
- One
large bottle of water ( for each guest) delivered to your
cabin daily while on board the cruise.
- One
small bottle of water for each guest, with each meal , every
day while on board the cruise
- An
Egyptian Gallabiya ( 100% Egyptian Cotton) with our compliments,
delivered to your cabin
- A
welcome fruit basket , awaits you in your cabin upon arrival
with our compliments.